Tool for assembling and disassembling connecting rods and their bearings



Sept. 16, 1952 1' GORTON 2,610,391

TOOL FOR A.. MBILIN DISASSEMBLI CONNECTING RODS A EIR BEARING 2SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 19, 1947 E INVENTOR.

Faa Z 7 619/1 0 FTTIFIVE'J S,

Sept. 16, 1952 P. -r. GORTON 2,510,391

TOOL FOR ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEMBLING CONNECTING RODS AND THEIR BEARINGSFiled Aug. 19, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 driving the assembly from PatentedSept. 16, 1952 I 7 TOOL-FOR ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEM- BLING CONNECTINGRODS AND THEIR BEARINGS Paul-T. Gorton," Grosse Pointe, Mich, assignorto Federal Mogul Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a,"

corporation of Michigan Application A gc'stm, 1947, Serial No. 769,340

I Clain s. -(o1.29--2se) Thisifiventioh relates broadlytotools and moreparticularly tea-novel tool for assembling and disassembling connectingrods-in automotive-vehicles andthelike. r

In conventionalinternal-combustion engines, each piston-and itsconnecting rod'is (ii-assembled as a unit after the to the crankshaftand below upwardly and Similarly, the piston fastens the connecting rodout through the cylindeh crankcase and cylinder head have been removedby removing the cap which and'connecting rodi'sassembled by insertingthe 1 same downwardly-into the cylinder and then pulling on theconnecting rod from below to bring the sameinto properrelationshipwiththe crankshaft. In practice, carbon deposits on thecylinder walls and'other causesfrequently causethe 7 piston to stick;and it usually is necessary to .drive the piston out of the cylinder byhammering against the lowerend of-the connecting rod or against .a barorthe like which is abutted' ag'ainstthe connecting rod. Asaresult-ot'this condition and the cramped quarters" in which the mechanicmust work, the threads on the studs whichinormallyfasten the cap-to theconnecting rod'ire'quently are damagedand in addition, the connectingrod bearing and the crankshaft pins adapted to receive them frequentlyare scored, dented, or.otherwise damaged either by'the studs oribythetool used to drive the piston'out of the cylindennn; n v a v v Animportant objectof the pres'entinvention isto' provide a tool which willpermit pis sembledor disassembled. a

Another object of nectingrodrt, I

Still another object of the invention is to-provide a tool of theabove-mentioned character which protects the threaded studs of theconnectthe invention is to provide a tool of the above-mentionedcharacter whichcan be-easilyapplied to'or removed-from the con- In thedrawings forming a part or this speci fication and'wherein like numeralsare employed to designatelike-parts throughout the same: 1 w

Fig. 1 15. a fragmentary, transverse sectionalview through aconventional v typ'e automobile engine showing a tool embodying thepresent iiivention applied to oneof the connecting reds} and positionedto prevent injury to the connect; ing-rod bearing which remains on --thecranl-* i shaft; v Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view takenontheline 22 ofFigl; V Fig. 3 is.a'fragmentary, vertical sectional viewtaken on the line 33 of Fig.2; 1 7

Fig. 4 a transverse sectional view taken on theline d.-4ofFig.'3;- r

Fig. 5. is a transverse sectional view through another typeofinternal-combustion engine-con- I ventionallyused in automotivevehiclesin which a portion of each connecting-rod bearing isr'emovablewith the connecting rod and illustrat f ing'a tool embodyingthe present invention positioned'to hold-one of the bearing portions orton and connecting rod assemblies to be expeditiously as-' vide .a toolof' the above mentioned'character which is adjustable on the connectingrod to either engage or release the crankshaft bearings sothatthe lattermay be left"on'the crankshaft or rethe .exigencies of the particularsituation;

Aiiirtheriobject of the invention is'to provide 7 moved with theconnecting rod,'-depending upon the particular construction 7 of theengine ancishells in fixed association with theconnecting rod withwhich'itsis associated during assembly or disassembly thereof; 7 r

Fig. 6 isia fragmentary, enlarged, vertical, ion- -itudinal sectionalView taken on theline 6 -6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary; vertical," transverse sectional view taken onthe line'L-l of Fig. 6;

Fig, 8 is a transverse sectional "view takenon theline'B-B ofFigfI; andFig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing" a modified'constructionfor holding the tool on theconnecting rod stud. V For adetailed description of the invention, ref-' erence is first had toFigs. 1-4 whichshow *a standard-p; internal-combustion',- vtyp'eenginehaving pistons Ifl'm'ounted for reciprocati'on i1'icylinders'lZ and driven'by the crankshaft ld" through the usualconnecting rods 16; In'the efn gine her shown by way of il1ustration,two"pistons in are driven by'leach crankpin of crankshaft l4, and a singlesleeve, bearing [8 is interposed between the crankshaft I4 and theconnecting rods l6 of each pair of pistons. 'Theslev bear ing I Bconventionally is split lengthwise {to Y pro- 1 rvide'two-complementaryshells 20 snazzy The the big ends 24thereof have the usual concave innersurfaces 26 which fit over approximately half of the bearing [8 and theusual externally screwthreaded studs 28 which project at opposite sidesof the crankshaft I4 and, together with the nuts 30, fasten the capportions 32 of the connecting rods. Inthe engine here shown by way ofillustration, cottrpins 34 extend transversely through the studs 28 andnuts 30 to lock the latter. The bearings 18 are free to rotate on thecrankshaft l4 and in the connecting rods l6. As suggested, the engineconstruction here shown-is-co'nventional; for that reason only so muchof th engine as pertains to the instant invention is described indetail. I The procedure for assembling or disassembling the pistons andthe difficulties attendant upon cylinder I2 until the studs 28 projectfrom the lower end of the cylinder. This operation usually can beaccomplished manually and with. relative ease, and care is exercised notto insert the piston far enough to bring the studs 28 or any part of theconnecting rod I6 into engagement with the corresponding crankpin'of thecrankshaft; The'bearing I8 is then applied to the corresponding crankpinof the crankshaft and while held in place by hand the yoke defined bythe preassembled bars 36 and rod 46 is then slipped over the crankpin 14in embracing relation thereto and with thejsides 42 of the barsinnermost in the manner hereinabove described. When thus positioned;extension bars36 snugly receive the con- -:-nectihg-rod bearingi8 andthe bars may be adthese operations have already been described. In

Fig. 1, I have shown one of the connecting rods I6 still attached to thecrankshaft I4 wherea's'the cap 32 is shown removed from the otherconnecting rod i6, and a-toolembodying the present invention-isapplidthereto. v

.. Specifically, the tool-embodying thepresent invention comprises twoidentical-extension bars 36 which conveniently can be madeof standardmetal bar. stock and preferably are either bronze or aluminum;;--The'-bars 36 may be'any suitable' length,-but they preferably arerelatively long, as showrrin thedrawing, and'they should be at leastlongerthan'thestroke of the engine. Each extensionr bar-36isprovided ineach end thereof with; a-socket 38, and both sockets 38- aresufiiciently large in diameter toreceive and sufii-cient-' lyrdeep toentirely accommodate'the studs 28.- :Al so, the outer terminal portionsof the sockets 38- preferably are flared or counterbored,=as at46, tofacilitate insertion thereof overjthe'studs 28, as shown in Fig? 3. Onesocket 38 in eachextension bar 36 is internally screw-threaded toengage'the external threads 'of-studs 28; whereas the other socket 38 ineach extension bar ispla'in and sufli'-' ciently large to slideeasilyover the threaded studs 28. According to the, present invention the twosockets38-in each extensionbar 36 are positioned withrespectto' the side42-of the latter so'that 1 va'n'c'e'd sufllciently to slip the largeunthreaded sockets 38 at' th e distal ends thereof over the studs 26 0fthe connecting rod l6. Cotter pins 34 arethen' inserted through thetransverse bores 48 and the aligning cotter-pin holes in the studs 28tofastentheextension-bars 36;;to-the-studs.

The bearings ---l 8 -as;well; as the threaded studs; are then-protected,and-the pist n I-O can=bepulled= the rest of the way into cylinder lz'without-dan ,ger' of damaging either the-bearingsor the studs.

Duringthefinal movement of the piston into; the-- cylinder the smooth-inner-surfaces-;-42;ofrexteni sion'bars 36 slide-across-the bearing 18;and guidethe big end thereof to shown in Fig. 31-; The cotter pinsfion again t. .3 thebearing and to substa t the? position,

are fthGIf e moved, extension bars -3 6; disengaged from-studsa 28, andthe cap '32; assembled, on=the --coI-1necting-= rods l6 inthe-conventionalmanner. To-disassemble thefrom the cylinder 12 end ofconnecting rod.

piston I Bendthe. attached connecting rods Hi, r thercap -32 is removed,and the yoke defined by --preassembled extension -bars--j- 36,andconnectingrod-46 is then applied-to:the'- exposedstuds" 28 in themanner herein'above dewscribed.- The-piston I U-can then bedriveneasil-y by hammering against athew 46; without; danger of damagingeither'the bearing [8 or the "externalv threads of'studs;-28 -Mo reover,it willgbe readily":

apparent the end ofconnecting: rodi46gis 'posi-"a when;:the gbarv-isapplied to astud 28-with the side 42. .to the insideas shown in thedrawing, such side 42'; extendsfiush orsubstantia-lly flush withtherconoave-end surface 26 0f the connecting rod |6-. ;-If;the extensionbars 36 are-: to b used only 7 for assembling or disassemblin pistons inen-i. gines of the-type hereinabove' described, it is immaterial-how farthe sockets 38 are spaced from the opposite sides 44 of extension bars36, since 5 in-engine constructions of this type the bearings I8remain'aonthecrankshaft :14 and the-bars 36 are mounted with the sides:42 innermost, both when assembling and disassembling the pistons l 0:;When the extension bars 36 are fully inserted the cotter-pin holes onthe studs so'that-cotter pins 34 can be inserted therethrough to fastenthe bars on the studs.

In practice, the extension bars 36 are usedtoton; l0 (Fig. 1) engine. 4

To; assemble a piston In, the extension bars 36 are first threaded ontothe studs of connecting rod for assembling the latter inthe- 46. Thepiston 10 and connecting rod 16 1to-be-- assembled are then inserteddownwardly into the;

. flected against the bearing 60 on-gstuds28,-transverse bores-45therein align with tioned far enough: below: the crankshaft 'H iso' thatit is readily; accessible such manner that they against the connectingrod 46 ofthe latter is so far-removedfromthe -"crankfor hammering. The:extensions 36 are-interengaged with -studs*28 cannot possibly be de-*-48* by hammering" and the distaliend:

shaft that there is little danger of the hammer inadvertently strikingthecrankshaft H or? bear clear- 0f the""bore be readily removed from thee W Reference is nowhad to Figs.'15'- 8-which show ing l8. The assemblyis drivenrupwardly"untilz'.

the extension bars 36 maybe readily removed and' the piston l:0--c'an icylind r P21? 1 another standard": ype--01 internal -combustion engine--in Whichthe; connectingrods- :16 rare-r mounted somewhat differently onthe crankshaft l4 and 'qw'hich illustrate how extension 'r0ds 36'=-adapted to the modified engine-construction. In theinternal-combustionengine the crankshaft 0 ying-the present inventionare readily shown in 'Fig. 5, i only; one piston -l 0 is actuated byeach throw of l4,-" and a=-single hearing 50 isinterposed between thecrankshaft-and :theconnecting rodbig end 24. The connecting irod '16--of course may be identical to the-one hereinabovexi described and issimilarly; attachedrto: the crank-e shaft; 14.; In; this'typeiof engineconstruction,

, pins 34 veniently may be equipped with set screws 52 however, thesleeve bearing '50 conventionallygis split longitudinally, and, the.two. shells. areg. detachably fastened to. the connecting rod ,big end24i:and1to;;the. cap 32 (not shown). According tofstandardpractice, aprojectioniis struckradially from :each bearingshelhand thesepIOiections fit in correspondingly shaped recesses in the big end 24 andcap 32'to mechanically lock the shells associated therewith againstmovement with respecttotheconnecting rodr-yln'an engine constructionof-this-type} one bearing' shell is removed with thecap and the problemis to assemble or disassemble the piston Ill without damaging thebearing shell associated with connecting rod IS, the surface of theconnecting rod which mates with the cap, the studs 28, or the crankpin.V

In order to adapt the extension bars 36 for both the engineconstructions herein described, the sockets 38 also are uniquely spacedwith respect to the sides 44 of the bars so that when the latter areapplied to studs 28 with the sides 44 to the inside as shown in Fig. 7,the applied ends of the bars abut against both the connecting rod andthe bearing shell 50 but clear the crankpin on which the bearing shellis mounted. In other words, when thus positioned, the bars 44 projectinwardly beyond the concave end surface 26 of the connecting rod l6 sothat they not only fully cover and protect the studs 28 but also holdthe bearing shell to associated with the connecting rod. At the sametime, the inner .sides 44 of extension bars 36 are spaced sufficientlyto clear and protect the crankshaft l4. In use, the extension bars 36are assembled on an old connecting rod 46 and used identically asdescribed in connection with the first form of the invention to bothassemble and disassemble the piston [0. Therefore, a detaileddescription of the mode of use of the extension bars for theconstruction shown in Fig. is unnecessary.

In some engine constructions self-locking nuts 30 are employed, and inthese constructions cotter pins 34 are not used and the studs 28 ofcourse are not provided with cotter-pin holes. If cotter are not used,the extension bars 36 con- Which are located" to enter one side of theunthreaded sockets 38 and to clampingly engage the studs 28 preferablyabove the threaded portions thereof. The set screws 52 here shown areprovided with wing heads to facilitate manual manipulation thereof.

For factory use or in any circumstance where a large number of similarengines are to be worked upon, it may be desirable to form the extensionbars 36 integral with a yoke portion which serves the same purpose asthe connecting rod 46. Such a construction is considered to be withinthe scope of the present invention.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that I have accomplishedthe objects of my invention. I have provided a tool which ismechanically simple and inexpensive to manufacture but is exceedinglyefficient in accomplishing its intended purpose. When applied to aconnecting rod l6 for the purpose either of assembling or disassemblinga piston Hi, the extension bars 33 entirely enclose and fully protectthe threaded portions of studs'28; andin addition, they prevent damageto the connecting rod bearings l8. Moreover, the single extension bar 36here shown is adapted for use on any of the connecting-rod mountingsherein described. In use it is merely necessary to turn the extension 6.bars 36 one hundred-i eighty degrees to convert it-foruse with one orthe other of the connectin rod mountings. Not only do the extension.bars protect the studs 28 and bearings [8 which here tofore havebeen-extensively damaged when assembling or disassembling the pistons10, butthey greatly, facilitate and expedite these operations.

1. An extension bar having a socket in eachend thereof, each socketbeing adapted to fit over and entirely accommodate the standardconnecting rod stud, and means for fastening said bar to connecting rodstuds disposed in said sockets, both sockets being disposedcorrespondingly eccentrically of the bar and closer to one side than theother thereof, the distance between the centers of said sockets and saidone side of the bar being not greater than the standard distance betweenthe center of the connecting rod stud and the adjacent arcuate bearingseat of the connecting rod, and the distance between the centers of saidsockets and the other side of the bar bein greater than the standarddistance between the center of the connecting rod stud and the adjacentarcuate bearing seat of the connecting rod but not greater than thestandard distance between the center of the connecting rod stud and theadjacent arcuate inner surface of the connecting rod bearing.

2. An extension bar having a socket in each end thereof, one of saidsockets being internally threaded and adapted to be screwed on aconnecting rod stud, the other of said sockets being larger in diameterthan a connecting rod stud so that the stud can be inserted axiallytherein, and means for fastening said bar to .a connecting rod studdisposed in said relatively large last-mentioned socket, both of saidsockets being disposed correspondingly eccentrically of the bar andcloser to one side than the other thereof, the distance between thecenters of said sockets and said one side of the bar being not greaterthan the standard distance between the center of the connecting rod studand the adjacent arcuate bearing seat of the-connecting rod and thedis-' tance between the centers of said sockets-and said other side ofthe bar'being' greater than the I standard distance between the centerof the connecting rod stud and the adjacent arcuate hear 'ing seat ofthe connecting rod but not greater wherein said fastening meanscomprises a transverse, internally threaded hole in the bar and inregister with said relatively large socket and a set screw in said holeadapted to engage a conntecing rod stud therein to hold said bar on thes u PAUL T. GORTON.

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